Written by Jonathan Wojcik

OCTOBER 24: SKILEVAKS!

On the 21st, I introduced you all to what I spontaneously decided was called a Skilevak for some reason. Having realized the unique treasure I allowed to slip by, I've since been to every "Ross" I can think of within reasonable driving distance, but not one remains for sale. Fortunately, the internet knows exactly the dumb ways to make me feel better, because in only about a day, my request for Skilevak D&D stats was filled twice and at least three different people drew beautiful fan art!

All-Around Vision (Ex): The floating eyeballs which serve as a Skilevak's legs allow it to see in all directions. Skilevacs gain a +4 racial bonus to Perception checks and cannot be flanked.

Lifesense (Su): While the Skilevak's floating eyeball legs are its primary source of sight, the symbiotic bat which spends most of its time attached to its face provides lifesense so long as the bat remains attached. This is lost whenever the Skilevak uses the bat to attack or if the bat is forcibly removed (DC 18 strength check).

Bat (Ex): As a move action a Skilevak can willingly detach the bat affixed to its face, losing it's own lifesense ability in doing so. Treat the bat as a bat familiar equivalent to Witch level 8 (the Skilevac can use this bat to deliver its spell-like abilities). The bat may re-attach as a swift action so long as it is within the Skilevak's space.

Summon Spectre (Su): By spending a full-action, the Skilevak may summon 1D3 spectres which act immediately after being summoned. They will remain until either they or the Skilevak that summoned them are destroyed, or until dispelled by the Skilevak. These are normal spectres as listed in Bestiary I, with the exception that they lack the ability to create spawn.

Gaze (Su): Making eye contact with any part of the Skilevak is maddenning to even the most jaded of adventurers. All those within 30' of a Skilevac must make a Will save (DC 20) or be dazed. A Skilevak may also choose to focus its gaze at a specific target as an attack action so long as it's symbiotic bat is affixed to its face, which must make a Will save (DC 20) or be confused for 1D4+1 rounds. In this way it is possible for an opponent to save against the Skilevac's gaze twice during the same round, once before the opponent’s action and once during the creature’s turn. To determine a confused opponent's behavior, roll percentile dice and consult the chart below:

A savvy adventurer can attempt to make a Knowledge(Religion) or Monster Lore check (DC 20) to discover that speaking the Skilevak's name thrice backwards will end the confusion or daze effect. Speaking the Skilvak's name backwards is no easy feat, however, so this reduces the Will save DC to 15.

This grotesque creature looms as tall as an ogre, its upper body appearing as a skeletally-thin humanoid figure. Its face is shrouded by a ragged piece of skin shaped like a pair of membranous wings, from which glare burning orange orbs. Below the waist, two fat tentacles grow, each of them studded with dozens of lidless eyes. It is clad in a motley of garishly colored fabric, tailored into a crude costume.

Ecology
Environment underground
Organization solitary or family (1 plus 1-6 wraiths)
Treasure standard
Special Abilities
Attach (Ex) If a skilevak’s eyebat hits an opponent, it latches on with its entire body. An attached eyebat is effectively grappling its prey with a CMB equal to the skilevak’s modified for size, with a +8 bonus on all CMB checks made to maintain the grapple (CMB +21 for a typical skilevak). An eyebat loses its Dexterity bonus to AC when attached. A successful CMB check or Escape Artist check allows a grabbed foe to escape, as normal.

Create Spawn (Su) A humanoid creature slain by a skilevak’s Constitution drain is animated as a wraith 1d6 minutes after it dies. Wraiths created by a skilevak remain under the skilevak’s control until its death.

Eyebat (Ex/Su) As a move action, a skilevak can detach the bat-like flap of skin covering its face. The skilevak can then move the eyebat up to 30 feet a round as a swift action. An eyebat is treated as being a Tiny creature with an AC of 20, touch 13, flat-footed 19, hit points equal to 1/5th of the skilevak’s total hit points (25 for a typical skilevak) with the saving throws and skills of the skilevak. An eyebat flies with perfect maneuverability (Fly +17). A skilevak can see through the eyebat as per an arcane eye spell—this ability is supernatural and does not occur in the area of an antimagic field or similar effect. If an eyebat enters a creature’s space, it can attempt to attach itself to that creature.

An eyebat can reattach to a skilevak sharing its space as a move action. If a skilevak’s eyebat is slain, the skilevak is sickened for 1 week, until it grows a new eyebat.

Grisly Feast (Su) A skilevak that reattaches to its eyebat gains 5 temporary hit points for each point of Constitution drained by the eyebat since it was detached.

Negative Energy Affinity (Ex) Skilevaks are treated as undead for the purposes of positive and negative energy effects.

Referred to as “soulbrooders” by sages, skilevaks are bizarre aberrant creatures that nurture the incorporeal undead as if they were beloved children. The form of a skilevak is extremely unusual, most notably in terms of the “eyebat”, a detachable lump of flesh that serves as a skilevak’s primary means of feeding. A skilevak will use its eyebat to seek out prey which it then mesmerizes with its gaze. The helpless victims are then drained of life by the eyebat. The victims of a skilevak rise as wraiths, serving their master as companions.

Skilevaks appear to be sexless, and their means of reproduction is unknown. Their undead spawn serve the role of children to a skilevak, who dotes upon its charges with what would be considered loving care in a more conventional parent/child relationship. A skilvelak will weaken victims so that its children can enjoy the sensation of the kill, for example. Due to their humanoid frames and the enormous empty eye socket covered by the skinbat, some sages theorize that skilevaks originated as cyclopes, mutated unspeakably by evil magic or drow fleshwarping. Possibly fitting with this theory is the skilevak’s preference for walking on the tips of its tentacles as if they were boneless legs—only when climbing or threatened does it drop into a crawling posture to better use these prehensile appendages.

Skilevaks love clothing of all kinds, and stitch together the garments of their victims into coverings for their own bodies. The promise of colorful fabrics or magical clothing is one of the few things that can prevent a skilevak attack, and the beasts are known to barter safe passage or information for particularly choice items. It is rumored by adventurers that skilevaks hate the sound of their species name and will recoil if it is spoken, but this is merely a rumor—skilevaks take great amusement in pretending to flee from the sound of its name only to circle around and renew its attack with surprise. A skilevak stands nine feet tall on tentacle-tip, but is only six feet tall when crawling. The average skilevak weighs 400 pounds.

"A flapping lump of flesh shaped like a bat obscures the face of this rag-clad skeletal horror. In place of legs, a glistening, rolling column of unconnected eyeballs stretches from this nightmare's pelvis to its bony feet. A shrieking cacodaemon circles overhead, and ghostly figures follow behind it."

All-Around Vision (Ex) A skilevak's eye-legs constantly squirm and rotate, allowing it to see in all directions. Skilevaks gain a +4 racial bonus to Perception checks and can not be flanked.

Bleeding Wounds (Ex) The daemons that create skilevaks sharpen the teeth and finger bones of their undead servants. This treatment allows skilevaks to deal horrible bleeding wounds to their foes. Any opponent who takes damage from a skilevak's bite or claw attacks also takes 1d6 bleed damage.

Cacodaemon Familiar (Ex) When a skilevak is created, its daemon masters bond it to a cacodaemon familiar. Skilevaks receive Improved Familiar as a bonus feat because of this bonding process.

Create Spawn (Su) A skilevak can create spawn out of humanoids it slays with its face-bat. The victim rises from death as a skilevak spawn in 2d4 hours. This spawn is under the command of the skilevak that created it, and remains enslaved until its master is destroyed or it upgraded to a true skilevak by a daemon. A skilevak may have enslaved spawn of Hit Dice totaling no more than twice its own Hit Dice; any spawn it creates that that would exceed this limit become free-willed undead. A skilevak may free an enslaved spawn in order to enslave a new spawn, but once freed, a skilevak spawn cannot be enslaved again.

Daemonic Servitude (Su) Skilevaks are created by and enslaved to daemons. They are effectively under a geas commanding them to pursue the goals of their daemon masters on the Material Plane. Should they fail to actively pursue some daemonic agenda, they suffer the penalties associated with failing to obey a geas. Additionally, if a skilevak attempts to harm a daemon (including its cacodaemon familiar), it immediately is cursed with a -20 penalty on all saves, skill checks, and attack rolls for the next 24 hours.

Face-Bat (Su) As a ranged touch attack, a skilevak may launch its face-bat at an enemy. The face-bat detaches from the skilevak's skull, flying at the target and latching onto its face, blinding them for 1 round and dealing 1d4 points of Constitution damage. On the skilevak's next turn, the face-bat flies back and re-attaches to the skilevak's face, and if the face-bat inflicted Constitution damage upon its target, the skilevak heals 5 hit points or gains 5 temporary hit points for 1 hour (up to a maximum number of temporary hit points equal to its full normal points).

Paralyzing Gaze (Su) Paralyzed for 1d6+1 rounds, 30 feet, Fortitude DC 24 negates. The save DC is Charisma-based. A skilevak may target up to 4 creatures per turn with this ability.

Ragged Affinity (Su) Skilevaks have a strange affinity for items of magical clothing, such as capes, cloaks, shirts, gloves, boots, hats, and caps. When using a clothing-based wondrous item made of cloth or leather, the item's Caster Level is treated as though it were 1 level higher. Additionally, if the wondrous item is usable a limited number of times per day, a skilevak can wring 1 extra usage from it per week. All clothing, magical or mundane, becomes ragged, tattered, and caked in grave mold and dirt when worn by a skilevak.

Rejuvenation (Su) When a skilevak is created, the daemon responsible takes the skilevak's femurs and carves the skilevak's true name into them. These bones at then spirited away to Abaddon, hidden in secret ossuaries beneath the strongholds of daemonic lords. So long as these bones exist, when a skilevak is destroyed, it reforms 1d10 days later in Abaddon. The skilevak awakens in Abaddon fully healed (albeit without any gear it left behind on its old body). After a year and a day, during which time it can not leave the plane of Abaddon and is likely to be punished extensively by its daemonic masters, a skilevak may be sent back to the Material Plane. Each time a skilevak rejuvenates in this manner, one of its engraved femurs shatters, crumbles into dust, and is forever lost; thus, a skilevak can only be rejuvenated twice before it is destroyed permanently.

Secret Words (Su) The magics used by daemons to create skilevaks has a fatal flaw - the secret word "kaveliks," skilevak spelled backwards, can negate many of their abilities. If a person says this word three times in a row (a free action), they become immune to a skilevak's paralyzing gaze and face-bat drain abilities for 1d4+1 rounds. Additionally, if a skilevak hears this word repeated three times in row, they are unable to use their spells and spell-like abilities for 1d4+1 rounds.

Additionally, skilevaks can not cross an entrance that has "kaveliks" written on the frame. If a skilevak touches the written word "kaveliks," it takes 1d4 points of positive energy damage. Further, a skilevak recoils from forcefully presented holy symbols and copies of the written word "kaveliks." This does not harm the skilevak, but merely keeps it at bay. A recoiling skilevak must stay at least 5 feet away from the holy symbol or copy of "kaveliks" and cannot touch or make melee attacks against that creature. Holding a skilevak at bay in this manner takes a standard action. After 1 round, a skilevak can overcome its revulsion of the object and function normally each round if it makes a DC 25 Will save.

Knowledge of this weakness is quite rare - it takes a DC 30 Knowledge (religion) check to recall it.

Spells Skilevaks cast spells as 7th-level sorcerers.

Skilevaks are grotesque undead abominations created by daemons to act as agents and middle-men ushering in the coming apocalypse. Skilevaks are tasked with overseeing long-term daemonic plots and leading projects in and assault upon the Material Planes, advancing the daemons ultimate goal - the death of everything, returning the universe to oblivion.

Despite their terrifying power, skilevaks are utter slaves to daemons, cowed by even the least of these fiends. Even the cacodaemon familiar bonded to each skilevak hold this power, relaying orders from the black heart of Abaddon to its supposed master.

The rituals used by daemons to create skilevaks are secrets unknown to mortals, but the arcane processes have strange effects, causing the unusual special qualities these undead possess. Of particular note for foes of skilevaks is their weakness to the secret word, "kaveliks." While this lore is obscure, it is invaluable to those who wish to fight the machinations of these daemonic servants.

When working on the Material Plane, skilevaks typically create a lair for themselves in a graveyard, tomb, necropolis, dungeon, or other ruin within a couple days traveling distance of a populated area. They steadily build a cadre of spawn and ectoplasmic minions to aid them in pursuit of their daemonic goals.

In addition to their fondness for magical clothing, skilevaks a fascinated by eye-themed objects, particular magic items. Even if they are unable to find magic objects of this type, a skilevak's lair will have a large collection of items such as glasses frames, lenses, eyepatches, and spheres that resemble eyeballs of all sizes. Skilevaks often set up several small shrines to the Four Horsemen within their lairs, offering up piles of eyeballs harvested from their victims.

Skilevak Spawn

A skilevak spawn's statistics are identical to those of a wight, save for the following changes.

* It gains the bleeding wounds, face-bat, and paralyzing gaze special attacks. A skilevak spawn can only target 2 creatures per turn with its paralyzing gaze attack and its bleeding wounds inflict 1d4 bleed.
* It gains all-around vision; channel resistance +2; DR 5/magic, good; the see alignment (good) spell-like ability; and unnatural aura. A skilevak spawn loses the wight's slam attack and gains 2 claw natural attacks and a bite natural attack. A skilevak spawn can only use its energy drain special attack once per turn.
* A skilevak spawn gains the daemonic servitude and secret words weaknesses.
* A skilevak spawn is CR 5.